Boise State Athletics
Sharp Named Mountain West Freshman of the Year, Three Named All-MW
11/25/2025 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Sharp is the fifth Bronco in the last eight seasons to earn the conference's top freshman honor
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Eliza Sharp was named the 2025 Mountain West Freshman of the Year and also among three Broncos - Layla Smith, Arianna Bilby (honorable mention) and Sharp - who were named All-Mountain West as the conference released its 2025 end-of-season awards on Tuesday.
Sharp is the sixth different Bronco to earn the Mountain West's Freshman of the Year honor and eighth freshman overall in program history to pick up a conference's top freshman award (two in Big Sky). A Bronco has been named the Mountain West's top freshman in five of the last eight seasons.
The All-Mountain West honors were the first for each of the trio of Broncos. Smith, in her third season as a Bronco, is the second Boise State middle blocker in the last three years to earn the all-conference team accolade. Bilby, in her first season as a Bronco after transferring in from Seattle, was recognized as at least an all-conference honorable mention for the second year in a row in her career. The sixth-year outside hitter was named All-WAC last year.
As a redshirt freshman, Sharp leads not only the Mountain West but the entire country in total blocks among freshmen. The Burlingame, Calif. product has 136 blocks in 105 sets played as well as 237 kills on a .322 hitting percentage. In Mountain West matches, Sharp elevated her game as she is sixth in the conference in hitting percentage (.343) and seventh in total blocks (81).
Smith, who also had a breakout campaign as a middle blocker for the Broncos, is second in Mountain West-only matches in total blocks with 103. She also turned in a .332 hitting percentage against conference opponents, which was eighth-best in the Mountain West. Out of Humble, Texas, Smith had 223 kills and a team-leading 156 blocks in all 29 matches this year.
Bilby was the team's leading point producer this season as she had 303 kills, 46 blocks and 21 aces to help her total 348.5 points. The outside hitter had 202 kills in conference-only matches along with 103 digs, 30 blocks and 14 aces.
Voted on by the conference coaches, the all-conference honors included player of the year, newcomer of the year, freshman of the year, coach of the year, 18 All-Mountain West selections and seven All-Mountain West honorable mentions.
The Broncos were one of five teams with multiple All-Mountain West honorees.
Boise State is set to compete in the 2025 Mountain West Volleyball Championship in Las Vegas this week and will open up the first round with a 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT match against No. 5 seed Grand Canyon. The match can be watched on the MW Network.
2025 Mountain West End-Of-Season Awards
Player of the Year:
Kaylie Kofe, So., S, Utah State
Newcomer of the Year:
Jaida Harris, So., OH, UNLV
Freshman of the Year:
Eliza Sharp, Fr., MB, Boise State
Coach of the Year:
Rob Neilson, Utah State
All-Mountain West:
Ashley Bible, Sr., OH, Air Force
Eliza Sharp, Fr., MB, Boise State
Layla Smith, Jr., MB, Boise State
Maria Brun, So., OH, Colorado State
Erin Debiec, Fr., S, Colorado State
Halle Jameson, Fr., OH, Colorado State
Eve Wilson, Jr., MB, Colorado State
Addison Haluska, Sr., OPP, Fresno State
Bella Nunez, Fr., S, Grand Canyon
Zara Stewart, Fr., L, San Diego State
Taylor Underwood, Sr., RS, San Diego State
Jaida Harris, So., OH, UNLV
Tierney Barlow, Sr., MB, Utah State
Loryn Helgesen, So., OPP, Utah State
Kaylie Kofe, So., S, Utah State
Mara Štiglic, So., OH, Utah State
Sarah Holcomb, Sr., MB, Wyoming
Paige Lauterwasser, Jr., OH, Wyoming
HONORABLE MENTION
Alysa Walker, So., OH, Air Force
Arianna Bilby OH, Sr., Boise State
Anaelana Ramirez, Sr., OH, Grand Canyon
Haylee Brown, Jr., OH, Nevada
Camila Canedo, Jr., L, New Mexico
Fatimah Hall, Jr., S, San José State
Andrea Simovski, So., OH, Utah State
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Sharp is the sixth different Bronco to earn the Mountain West's Freshman of the Year honor and eighth freshman overall in program history to pick up a conference's top freshman award (two in Big Sky). A Bronco has been named the Mountain West's top freshman in five of the last eight seasons.
The All-Mountain West honors were the first for each of the trio of Broncos. Smith, in her third season as a Bronco, is the second Boise State middle blocker in the last three years to earn the all-conference team accolade. Bilby, in her first season as a Bronco after transferring in from Seattle, was recognized as at least an all-conference honorable mention for the second year in a row in her career. The sixth-year outside hitter was named All-WAC last year.
As a redshirt freshman, Sharp leads not only the Mountain West but the entire country in total blocks among freshmen. The Burlingame, Calif. product has 136 blocks in 105 sets played as well as 237 kills on a .322 hitting percentage. In Mountain West matches, Sharp elevated her game as she is sixth in the conference in hitting percentage (.343) and seventh in total blocks (81).
Smith, who also had a breakout campaign as a middle blocker for the Broncos, is second in Mountain West-only matches in total blocks with 103. She also turned in a .332 hitting percentage against conference opponents, which was eighth-best in the Mountain West. Out of Humble, Texas, Smith had 223 kills and a team-leading 156 blocks in all 29 matches this year.
Bilby was the team's leading point producer this season as she had 303 kills, 46 blocks and 21 aces to help her total 348.5 points. The outside hitter had 202 kills in conference-only matches along with 103 digs, 30 blocks and 14 aces.
Voted on by the conference coaches, the all-conference honors included player of the year, newcomer of the year, freshman of the year, coach of the year, 18 All-Mountain West selections and seven All-Mountain West honorable mentions.
The Broncos were one of five teams with multiple All-Mountain West honorees.
Boise State is set to compete in the 2025 Mountain West Volleyball Championship in Las Vegas this week and will open up the first round with a 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT match against No. 5 seed Grand Canyon. The match can be watched on the MW Network.
2025 Mountain West End-Of-Season Awards
Player of the Year:
Kaylie Kofe, So., S, Utah State
Newcomer of the Year:
Jaida Harris, So., OH, UNLV
Freshman of the Year:
Eliza Sharp, Fr., MB, Boise State
Coach of the Year:
Rob Neilson, Utah State
All-Mountain West:
Ashley Bible, Sr., OH, Air Force
Eliza Sharp, Fr., MB, Boise State
Layla Smith, Jr., MB, Boise State
Maria Brun, So., OH, Colorado State
Erin Debiec, Fr., S, Colorado State
Halle Jameson, Fr., OH, Colorado State
Eve Wilson, Jr., MB, Colorado State
Addison Haluska, Sr., OPP, Fresno State
Bella Nunez, Fr., S, Grand Canyon
Zara Stewart, Fr., L, San Diego State
Taylor Underwood, Sr., RS, San Diego State
Jaida Harris, So., OH, UNLV
Tierney Barlow, Sr., MB, Utah State
Loryn Helgesen, So., OPP, Utah State
Kaylie Kofe, So., S, Utah State
Mara Štiglic, So., OH, Utah State
Sarah Holcomb, Sr., MB, Wyoming
Paige Lauterwasser, Jr., OH, Wyoming
HONORABLE MENTION
Alysa Walker, So., OH, Air Force
Arianna Bilby OH, Sr., Boise State
Anaelana Ramirez, Sr., OH, Grand Canyon
Haylee Brown, Jr., OH, Nevada
Camila Canedo, Jr., L, New Mexico
Fatimah Hall, Jr., S, San José State
Andrea Simovski, So., OH, Utah State
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Players Mentioned
OH
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MB
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